"The reason for the Carmelite life...

"...its prayer and austerity, its silence and enclosure, is to allow the Carmelite Sister to devote her entire energy to the worship, the contemplation, and love of God. The sisters pray for the whole world; this is how they express their love and concern.

"The Sisters pray quietly in Choir (the part of the Chapel that is reserved to the Sisters) each morning and evening, and at times their prayer takes them into the monastery gardens....

"Another aspect of the life of prayer is the place that the cell (monastic name for sleeping quarters) has in each Sister's life. It is here that an intimate experience takes place between God and the Carmelite Sister as she prays, reads, or works in solitude.

"Carmel, for all its enclosure and solitude is essentially missionary and active but it takes a living faith to comprehend this. A Carmelite Sister is dedicated to the prayer for the needs of the Church, the Pope, Bishop, Priests, religious, laity, and especially for the diocese in which the Carmel is located. She prays for the return of lapsed Catholics to the spirit and practice of the Faith, for the conversion and salvation of all peoples, and recommends to God their needs in all circumstances of life."

from the website of
Carmel of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Monastery
Salt Lake City